Holyoke DPW clearing snow along the parade route

The clock is ticking for Holyoke Public Works crews to clear the St. Patrick’s parade route before Sunday.

Since the giant clean up started on Saturday, Public Works crews have been working day and night to clear away the ice and snow from the nearly two and a half mile parade route.

Parade President Devin Sheehan admires this pre-parade preparation, “We’ve been working closely with the Holyoke DPW to make sure the snow is being removed and the potholes are filled.”

The DPW’s snow removal efforts are also being praised by residents along the parade route… families whose porches, balconies and front yards will be filled with spectators on parade day.

“A lot of people come and we have a little beer. Everybody has a good time. It’s just a great thing. It’s too bad it only happens once a year, that’s the way it is,” said Dewey Evans of Holyoke.

22News caught up with this DPW team on Beech Street on the way to the downtown viewing stand. DPW director Mike McManus told 22News, his crews will start painting the shamrocks along the parade route on Thursday. Other DPW workers will be filling in potholes that might interfere with the parade or its visitors.

Unlike the pre-parade snow clean up in past years, there are no plans to ask MassDOT for emergency snow removal assistance.